Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на религию

Меры социального дистанцирования приняты в мечети в Малайзии во время приказа о контроле за передвижением

Пандемия COVID-19 по-разному повлияла на религию, включая отмену богослужений различных конфессий и закрытие воскресных школ, а также отмену паломничества, церемоний и фестивалей. многие церкви, синагоги, мечети и храмы проводили богослужения в прямом эфире . Во время пандемии или проводить интерактивные сессии в Zoom .

Подразделения по оказанию помощи религиозных организаций направили в пострадавшие районы дезинфицирующие средства, механизированные воздухоочистительные респираторы, лицевые щитки, перчатки, реагенты для обнаружения нуклеиновых кислот коронавируса, аппараты искусственной вентиляции легких, мониторы пациентов, шприцевые насосы, инфузионные насосы и продукты питания. Другие церкви предложили бесплатное тестирование на COVID-19 . населению Приверженцы многих религий собрались вместе, чтобы помолиться за прекращение пандемии COVID-19 и за тех, кто пострадал от нее, а также за мудрость для врачей и ученых в борьбе с этой болезнью.

Religions

Christianity

A sign on a Baptist Christian church that has been temporarily closed due to the pandemic

Food relief at a Baptist Christian church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, during the pandemic

Response and impact

According to a Gallup report by Frank Newport "the most dramatic result (in religion) has been the exceedingly quick shift of religious services from in-person to online worship." While for almost a hundred years, churches have used various communication methods to reach their audiences, such as radio, television and online media, Gallup says that the halting of in-person worship "is one of the most significant sudden disruptions in the practice of religion in U.S. history." A Pew Research report from March 2020 reported a change in respondents' religious habits due to the pandemic. More than half of respondents said that they have "prayed for an end to the spread of coronavirus," "attended services in person less often," and "watched religious services online or on TV instead of in person." Time magazine reported that drive-in church services have achieved a great level of attendance in the COVID-19 outbreak. As to whether the crisis had an effect on long-term personal religious life, 19% of Americans said that their faith has strengthened and only 3% said that it got worse.

In a survey conducted in late May–early June 2020 by the American Enterprise Institute, 60% of Americans said they feared that they or someone in their household might get COVID-19. Responses differed demographically, however; 69% of Black Protestants and 42% of White Evangelicals worried about infection. When it came to weighing the public health risks of returning to normal economic activity, a majority of Black Protestants (84%) and Hispanic Catholics (70%) said they would prioritize public health, while a majority of White Evangelicals (65%) and White Mainline Protestants and White Catholics (52%) prioritized the economy.

In the United Kingdom, Christian denominations including the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Reformed, and Presbyterian Churches, published guidelines on adapting worship in light of the pandemic.

In July 2020, North Point Ministries—which, before the pandemic, typically hosted 30,000 churchgoers every Sunday across its seven locations in the Atlanta, Georgia area—said it would only offer services digitally through the rest of the year. The church's founder said that contact tracing for coronavirus exposure would be impossible given the church's size.

On 30 November 2020, one of the pastors at the California megachurch Water of Life died of COVID-19. He had recently been leading outdoor services after the governor banned indoor services.

Food and medical assistance and social justice work

World Council of Churches General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit announced that, "This situation calls on our solidarity and accountability, mindfulness, care and wisdom... [as well as] for our signs of faith, hope and love". Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches continue to operate their food pantries that are offering bags filled with meat and toilet paper rolls for families in need. The National Cathedral of the United States, which belongs to the Episcopal Church, donated over five-thousand N95 surgical masks to hospitals of Washington, D.C., which were in shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other churches, such as the Church of the Highlands, an evangelical Christian megachurch, have offered free COVID-19 tests in their parking lots. Some chaplains, such as Father Benito Rodríguez Regueiro, have chosen to remain on call 24/7 for COVID-19 patients.

In April 2020 over 200 church and civil society organisations, including Caritas and the Jesuit Refugee Service, called on the government of Greece to restore access to asylum for refugees, especially the 42,000 stated to be "trapped" and living "in horrific conditions" in the Greek islands.

Social distancing

"The name of Jesus is above COVID-19": a message on a sign at Joy Christian Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota

Devotees of the Black Nazarene observe social distancing as they attend Mass in front of Quiapo Church in Manila, Philippines on July 1, 2022.

Sunday worship is livestreamed online due to social distancing.

Many Episcopal and Catholic dioceses have recommended older Christians to stay at home rather than attending Mass on Sundays, which is usually required; many churches of all Christian denominations have made church services available via radio, online livestreaming or television while others have offered drive-in services in their church parking lots, some with guidelines on how to use car functions to respond to the service. Some Christians are using online apps, which contain prayers and daily devotionals, to remain engaged with their faith.

Many Christians traditionally observe the Christian penitential season of Lent through the abstinence from meat on Fridays, especially Roman Catholics, Methodists and Anglicans; the requirement to observe this custom was lifted by some Roman Catholic bishops amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which partially coincided with Lent in 2020. The liturgies normally held during Holy Week (especially those on Palm Sunday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday), the last week of Lent, were canceled by many churches belonging to mainstream Christian denominations, including the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, and Reformed Churches. These included the Royal Maundy charity service done by the monarch of the United Kingdom on Maundy Thursday.

Referencing the Christian doctrine of the Body of Christ, Anglican priest Jonathan Warren Pagán wrote that "Gathered worship in word and sacrament is therefore not an optional add-on for Christians" though the COVID-19 pandemic rendered it necessary to move to online formats for the common good. He encouraged the practice of Spiritual Communion amidst the pandemic (especially during the Anglican service of Morning Prayer), which has been used by Christians during times of plagues, as well as during times of persecution, both of which have prevented Christians from gathering on the Lord's Day to celebrate the Eucharist. Methodist clergy, as well as Pope Francis, also suggested that the faithful practice Spiritual Communion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, a feast day celebrating the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, on 17 March 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, though services were still held in some churches and some parades still commenced.

While many churches canceled Easter services to comply with social-distancing guidelines, others planned to continue normally. On 11 April 2020, the day before Easter Sunday, the president of the American conservative think tank the Claremont Institute, tweeted for "resistance and civil disobedience to an unconstitutional lockdown" so people could enjoy "free exercise of religion."

Digital church services

Due to social-distancing guidelines, many churches needed to find alternatives to normal face-to-face church services and have turned to digital church. On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis livestreamed mass from an empty St. Peter's Basilica in Rome while the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby broadcast his sermon from the kitchen of his flat in London. Many local churches throughout the world would look into ways of digitizing church practices, though some debated how certain liturgical practices such as communion could or could not be performed online. In rural churches where access to technology was more limited, some local churches needed to be more creative, including practices such as drive-by processions of the Blessed Sacrament. Some studies in digital theology have highlighted an increased interest in watching and participating in online church services under lockdown. The interconnectivity promoted by digital technologies has helped promote the ability for individuals to participate in religious activities despite physical distance, including those who previously may have never set foot in a church. However, other studies have highlighted that Christians who regularly attended physical church services have been less keen to participate online, especially among millennials. By the fourth Easter of the pandemic, numerous churches had long since incorporated on-line services into their regular schedule. Although Zoom meetings and the like well-suited for meetings such as Bible study, and Millennials and younger demographic cohorts are accustomed to on-line forms of the fellowship, the number of Catholics attending (required) weekly Mass has been estimated to have declined from 22% in 2019 to 17% by 2023.

By denomination

Lutheranism

Lutheran Disaster Response, the relief wing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has provided supplies to China, whence the disease originated; these include disinfection supplies, powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas.

As most supplies are being sent to developed countries, Lutheran World Relief is working to send resources to Africa, where Allyson Bear says "widespread poverty and crowded urban slums put Africans at extreme risk." At Lutheran World Relief clinics in Nairobi, where multiple months of HIV medication are provided to patients, people were educated on the importance of handwashing and protective equipment has been repurposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting congregational feeding ministries to "do the critical work of providing those who are in need in their communities with food." ELCA is also sending food, medical and essential supply deliveries to New Orleans, Southern California, Italy, Palestine and Sierra Leone and working with the Lutheran World Foundation and the ACT Alliance.

Anglicanism

The Church of England, the state church, as well as other ecclesiastical provinces of the Anglican Communion in the world such as the Church in Wales, and the Scottish Episcopal Church, suspended in-person worship amidst the pandemic. The Archbishop of Canterbury led a virtual Eucharist that was broadcast on thirty-nine BBC stations. The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough of the United Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough Most Reverend Michael Jackson has: A Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus. In Time magazine, Anglican theologian and University of Oxford professor N. T. Wright characterised the COVID-19 pandemic as one that focuses on the Christian theme of lamentation, in which both God and humanity mourn together:

A priest wearing a mask matching her vestments preparing for Eucharist outdoors at an Episcopal Church in Minnesota

The point of lament, woven thus into the fabric of the biblical tradition, is not just that it's an outlet for our frustration, sorrow, loneliness and sheer inability to understand what is happening or why. The mystery of the biblical story is that God also laments. Some Christians like to think of God as above all that, knowing everything, in charge of everything, calm and unaffected by the troubles in his world. That's not the picture we get in the Bible. God was grieved to his heart, Genesis declares, over the violent wickedness of his human creatures. He was devastated when his own bride, the people of Israel, turned away from him. And when God came back to his people in person—the story of Jesus is meaningless unless that's what it's about—he wept at the tomb of his friend. St. Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit "groaning" within us, as we ourselves groan within the pain of the whole creation. The ancient doctrine of the Trinity teaches us to recognize the One God in the tears of Jesus and the anguish of the Spirit. —N.T. Wright, Anglican bishop and University of Oxford professor

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, which belongs to the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of New York, has volunteered itself to be turned into a field hospital for coronavirus patients, which will be cared for by Samaritan's Purse health workers, who have offered their services. It will house over two hundred patients with the ailment.

In the statement, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Anglican Consultative Council Chair and the Anglican Communion Secretary General wrote a joint letter to the Anglican Communion. The letter states, "In our prayers, in addition to praying for those who are ill, and for those who are lonely, we should pray for wisdom for those in authority and for strength to be given to medical workers. We should do more than pray. We should also act by heeding the advice of our respective national and regional authorities who are working to contain the virus; and, we should care for those who are unable to care for themselves."

The Church of England released a statement on 5 May 2020 regarding guidelines for churches as nations around the world gradually re-open. The House of Bishops mentioned the possibility of "very limited access to church buildings for activities such as streaming of services or private prayer by clergy in their own parishes, so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken". 

According to official statistics, Anglican churches in North America saw substantial attendance declines even after in-person services were resumed in 2021. Average Sunday attendance in the Episcopal Church "declined 35 percent from the already-depressed levels of 2020," falling to 312,691, 43 percent below the figures for 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic. Likewise, the Anglican Church in North America saw attendance in 2021 roughly 30 percent lower than prior to COVID. While statistics for the Anglican Church of Canada had not yet been released as of January 2023, Bishop Susan Bell told the Diocese of Niagara synod in November 2022 that congregations in that diocese were seeing worshipers return at rates of 50–65 percent and that diocesan revenue was forecast to fall by 23 percent in 2023. The church's statistician said that the decline in ACC membership (not attendance) accelerated from about 2.5 percent per year to 10 percent per year during the pandemic.

Methodism

L. Jonathan Holston, bishop of the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church recommended that churches "proceed with worship services—providing increased vigilance regarding cleaning worship areas, providing hand-washing stations, and educating members about social distancing and other preventive measures." On 13 March 2020, Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a statement that would be updated no later than the start of Holy Week, which directed "the local churches of any size and other ministries in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to suspend in-person worship and other gatherings of more than 10 people for the next two weeks". Many parts of the Methodist Churches, which uphold Sunday Sabbatarian teaching, have transitioned their church services online; ninety percent of the parishes within the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, for example, are now offering worship via internet livestream.

Catholicism

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Catholic Church

Countries where there were suspensions of Catholic Masses with the presence of the people during the COVID-19 pandemics, at regional level (in red) or national level (in burgundy)

Many churches have been ringing their church bells five times a day for the Liturgy of the Hours as a call to prayer amidst the coronavirus outbreak. In Spain, many cities canceled their Semana Santa festivities (5–11 April)—normally large events with parades and significant tourism spending—by mid-March as a result of the pandemic; in Seville, it was the first time that the events had been canceled since 1933.

An American military chaplain prepares for a live-streamed service in an empty chapel at Offutt Air Force Base in March 2020.

The Vatican announced that Holy Week observances in Rome, which occur during the last week of the Christian penitential season of Lent, have been canceled. With the Diocese of Rome closing its churches and chapels, Saint Peter's Square is now empty of Christian pilgrims; on the other hand the Archdiocese of New York, though cancelling services, has left its churches open for prayer. Setting an example for churches unable to celebrate public masses due to the lockdown, Pope Francis began livestreaming daily masses from his home at Domus Sanctae Marthae on 9 March. In the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, a different approach was briefly taken as Archbishop Alexander Sample instructed parishes to offer more masses so that each mass would be more sparsely attended; however, tightening restrictions on public gatherings in Oregon led to even Archbishop Sample suspending public masses beginning on 17 March.

By 20 March 2020, every Roman Catholic diocese in the United States had suspended the public celebration of Mass and dispensed with the obligation to attend Sunday Mass; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the United States also suspended public Divine Liturgies, as did the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.

The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 20 March 2020 granted plenary indulgences to various people affected by the coronavirus. Additionally, those who cannot receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, especially those afflicted with the coronavirus, may receive a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers, especially the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, on their own, with the presence of a crucifix being recommended.

With social distancing restricting public celebration of the Sacraments, many churches began looking to innovate. Some priests began offering drive-thru confessions. A parish in Quezon City announced an online general absolution via live stream but cancelled the event upon discovering that the priest who absolves and the penitent people receiving absolution must be physically in the same place. Similarly, the Archdiocese of Kansas City attempted to allow confessions to be heard via cell phone but ran into the same issue regarding absolution. Archbishop Leonard Blair wrote in a memo to the U.S. bishops, "With regard to Penance, it is clear that the Sacrament is not to be celebrated via cell phone." The Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts attempted to allow nurses to anoint patients while priests recite prayers for Extreme Unction but this policy was quickly rescinded because anointing cannot be validly delegated. On the other hand, Johann Pock, the dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna, wrote that if the Pope could impart a "complete indulgence" to the world via television, "why then can't the bishop… celebrate the Eucharist for his entire diocese, with believers in front of their screens actively participating and making this not just a spiritual, but an actual communion with bread (and wine) at the table?"

Jorge Ortiga, Archbishop of Braga wearing a protective mask during Pentecost Mass in May 2020

By mid-March the Maronite Church in Lebanon authorized the reception of the Eucharist in the hand, a practice previously not permitted, to stem the spread of the virus. Some parishes allowed for two lines of communicants: one for those who wished to receive traditionally on the tongue and those who wished to receive in the hand. This led to protests from traditional Maronites, including an 8 March incident in an Ajaltoun church where protesters shouted "We are the Church" in response to a priest requesting obedience to Church requests.

As an outbreak began to accelerate in New Orleans, on 24 March 2020 Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards called for a day of prayer and fasting. Bel Edwards wrote that he and his wife "believe in the power of prayer and know, based on our Catholic Christian faith, that prayer coupled with fasting is pleasing to God." The day prior, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced that Archbishop Gregory Aymond had tested positive for COVID-19 on 23 March. The 70-year-old Archbishop stated that he had not been feeling well and was tested with his symptoms. He stated that he will continue to stream reflections on the crisis to Facebook and the Archdiocese's website.

On 20 March 2020, Pope Francis announced the launch of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission, that would work under the direction of the Dicastery at the Service of Integral Human Development to think possibles solutions for the problems that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring.

On 27 March 2020, Pope Francis imparted the Urbi et Orbi blessing, normally reserved for Christmas and Easter, from an empty Saint Peter's Square following a prayer for the health of all the world. For the prayer service, Francis brought the crucifix from San Marcello al Corso which had processed through the streets of Rome during the miraculous plague cure of 1522.

Catholic dioceses and religious institutes offered church facilities to accommodate healthcare operations and provide housing for the needy in the crisis and the Holy See implemented measures to protect its high-risk residents who were more susceptible to developing complications from COVID-19. In Bergamo, the hardest hit city in Italy where morgues ran out of space, Bishop Francesco Beschi ordered the churches to be used as mortuaries, as "an act of tenderness towards people who die alone and [whose] bodies are likely to remain piled up." Pope Francis asked the Church to welcome and provide refuge to the homeless amidst the pandemic, and on 6 April 2020, Francis donated US$750,000 to mission countries for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In reflecting on the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Hildesheim stated that "The [coronavirus] crisis is not a punishment from God" and recalled Martin Luther's question of accessing God directly, suggesting that the faithful turn their focus on the Bible and house churches of early Christianity. Cardinal António Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fátima called the view that the pandemic was God's punishment "unchristian", and further said that such views could only be justified through "ignorance, sectarian fanaticism, or madness". On 25 March, Cardinal Marto renewed the consecration of Portugal and Spain to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and added the names of twenty-four other countries at the request of their respective episcopal conferences.

Markus Blümel from the Catholic Social Academy of Austria appealed to Catholic social teaching to advocate for a universal basic income on 3 April 2020 in response to the pandemic. In his Easter message on 12 April 2020, Pope Francis echoed this call, writing "This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights." Francis celebrated Holy Week and Easter in a nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica.

Due to masses being canceled, a table was set up with blessed palms, yellow ribbons, and prayer cards on Palm Sunday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Springfield, Tennessee.

Across Europe, church leaders urged "solidarity and prudence" in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some European countries, Catholic masses were completely halted while in others smaller groups continued to congregate. In Spain, the Bishops' Conference "suspended all talks, concerts and catechesis sessions on church premises, and urged Catholics 'with chronic diseases, elderly, weakened or with potential risk, and those who live with them' to follow Masses via the media." In Poland, the Bishop's conference canceled its March plenary. In Italy's northern Bergamo Diocese, clergy tested positive for COVID-19 with six deaths as of March 2020.

In Germany, the head of the German's bishop conference Bishop Georg Bätzing expressed disappointment over the church services ban being kept in place as announced 15 April by Chancellor Angela Merkel. Bätzing emphasized religious freedom and said that he was confident that discussing the matter with the federal government "will very soon lead to a consensus that will make responsible forms of worship in our churches possible again."

Eastern European Catholics supported measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but for some the pandemic "revived painful memories of communist rule." Questioning and resistance also emerged in Western Europe, "where some Catholics have questioned the right of civil authorities to prohibit religious worship." Polish radio presenter Glabisz-Pniewska described the sight of empty church "terrifying," drawing a parallel between the situation and the hypothetical Catholic Church today "if past anti-Catholic hostilities had prevailed." Romanian bishop Virgil Bercea, from a church who experienced persecution under communist régimes, said although church closures were questioned in Romania, he predicted that most critics would have a different reaction if their own families were affected by COVID-19. "We've experienced this before, when having nothing was normal. At that time, it was communism, and now it's the coronavirus. The situation is different, but the realities are much the same." Post lock down in Italy for Church gatherings Italian bishops negotiated an agreement with the government for religious gatherings while maintaining safety measures like masks, gloves and safe distancing, but the Italian government buckled under pressure to drop requirement of thermometers.

The 2020 fiscal report for the Vatican showed a decrease in revenue of about 50%, but the Institute for the Works of Religion contributed more income. Expenses were reduced by $3.88 million. The Vatican also planned to increase their liquid capital in response to market uncertainty in order to avoid selling Church assets in unfavorable market conditions. On January 10, 2022, Pope Francis issued a statement on COVID-19 vaccines, Pope Francis stated that COVID-19 vaccines was a "moral obligation" and denounced "how people had been swayed by "baseless information" to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives".

Eastern Orthodoxy

The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issued a worldwide suspension of all "divine services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in churches that will remain open, until the end of March".

Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria, head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, has exhorted clergy throughout the continent to "comfort and support our fellow Africans, teach them ways of elementary health and cleanliness, because most do not have access to clean water. And, as the situation is serious, I recommend that you comply with the orders and decisions of the countries in which you serve".

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a joint statement with the heads of other churches in Syria and Lebanon declaring "the suspension of all general prayer services, including liturgies, in all churches from today's date and until further notice."

In a joint communique with the heads of other Jerusalem churches, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem urged members "to adhere by the provisions and instruction of the civil authorities" regarding COVID-19.

The Russian Orthodox Church has yet to suspend church services, but has implemented precautionary measures to reduce the potential spread of infection. The Romanian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and Georgian Orthodox Church have implemented similar precautions without suspending services.

In a homily given on 29 March, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called upon the faithful to temporarily refrain from attending church services, and to commit "to strictly following all the regulations coming from the sanitary authorities in Russia,".

Serbian Orthodox Church

In total, four bishops and the head of Serbian Orthodox Church died from COVID-19 as of July 2021.

Patriarch Irinej, the head of the Church died from COVID-19 on 20 November 2020. He became infected earlier that month after attending the funeral of Amfilohije Radović, the Serbian Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral, who had also died from COVID-19. Bishop Amfilohije's funeral in Podgorica was held in violation of Montenegrin social distancing guidelines and is believed by officials to be a superspreader event. Following the Podgorica outbreak, Serbian Orthodox priests began appealing to their parishioners to take the virus more seriously. Two more bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Milutin Knežević and Artemije Radosavljević, died from COVID-19 in 2020. Bishop emeritus Atanasije Jevtić died on 4 March 2021, from complications due to COVID-19.

Independent Eastern Orthodoxy

Patriarch Filaret, former honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, founder and patriarch of the second independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, contracted COVID-19 in September 2020. He became the first independent autocephalous leader or patriarch in Eastern Orthodoxy to contract the disease. Months earlier, he had stated that the pandemic was God's punishment for same-sex marriage, which is currently not legally recognized in Ukraine.

Anabaptism

After Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered no gatherings of more than ten people, Ohio's Amish steering committee advised all church districts to heed the state's orders, telling Amish "to cancel or postpone weddings, youth and family gatherings until further notice." Amish weekly newspaper The Budget had by 10 April "devoted more than 50 pages to dispatches from Amish communities across the country struggling to reconcile social distancing with a way of life that survives through communal work and worship".

Pentecostalism

In Mississippi in April 2020, the First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs successfully led a legal battle against its city's government over a stay-at-home order after local police broke up an Easter service and a Bible study. The church was burned to the ground a month later on 21 May 2020 in a church arson and a message was written in the parking lot, reading "Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic]."

Nondenominational Christianity

Other Christian churches, including non-denominational churches, have begun using livestreams with a chat feature and emphasizing gathering in small groups, such as immediate families, while suspending in-person church attendance. This includes Life.Church's Church Online Platform and an encoder device known as Living As One. Articles are being published to aid those who have not started a livestream in the past. In compliance with local recommendation, churches such as Cornerstone Fellowship in the California East Bay were moving exclusively to online, emphasizing it not being done out of fear or panic, but out of concern for the elderly. In Hong Kong, churches have moved to Life.Church's Open Network Church Online platform as well.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has implemented a temporary suspension of all worship services across the globe as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 25 March, all temples were temporarily closed worldwide. Some LDS members were involved in providing aid to international communities where members reside. On 4 April, LDS church President Russell M. Nelson called for a worldwide fast to take place the following Friday stating: "I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized." They described a fast as "going without food or water for either two consecutive meals or 24 hours."

LDS Charities donated food healthcare supplies to 16 countries affected by COVID-19. The church partnered with Project HOPE to offer personal protective equipment or PPEs, Moms Against Poverty and INTERSOS, a disaster relief nonprofit. The LDS church donated protective and respiratory supplies to China and food to local food distributions in the United States.

On 6 May 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a video, as they try to decide when worship services will return to gathering after being suspended during the COVID-19 outbreak. "We will continue to be prayerful and proceed with an abundance of caution. Your safety and well-being will always be our utmost concern," said President Russell M. Nelson.

Islam

See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hajj

Closed Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey, Iran

There is concern that the virus may be hard to control during the travel and gatherings around Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, and Eid al-Fitr. Congregations for Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan were cancelled in several countries as mosques worldwide were shut down. Council of Senior Scholars from Saudi Arabia urged the Muslim world in general to prepare for Ramadan while abiding to precautionary and preventive health measures regarding acts of worship, which includes avoiding gatherings such as communal Iftar and Suhur meals.

Saudi Arabia closed the Great Mosque of Mecca for Umrah visitors and banned touching Kaaba on 5 March, after which it was partially reopened on 7 March. On 5 March, the Saudi government added further steps towards the Great Mosque of Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, which included a temporary closure of the Great Mosque for sterilisation purposes. On 20 March, both mosques were closed to the public, and the closure continued throughout Ramadan. The hajj pilgrimage beginning 28 July 2020 only had about 1,000 pilgrims, a sharp decline from the previous year's 2.5 million. Pilgrims were restricted to those already in Saudi Arabia between the ages of 20 and 50 years of age who had been approved as part of an online screening process. They were required to agree to follow strict protocols including quarantine before and after the hajj.

The Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Medical Association of Canada and the Canadian Council of Imams recommended that congregations suspend Friday congregational prayers and gatherings. Mosques within the United Kingdom have suspended congregations, including traditional Friday prayers as government documents revealed that social distancing might need to be implemented in Britain until autumn. The Islamic Council for the Federal Republic of Germany said that "Due to the loss of daily prayers and Friday prayers, a considerable proportion of the donations were canceled and no suitable replacement has been found."

In Southeast Asia, Malaysian officials reported on 20 March that 624 of the nation's 1,030 COVID-19 cases were linked to the gathering organized by Tablighi Jamaat missionary movement at a mosque outside of Kuala Lumpur from late February. Mosques have closed in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The Indonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa advising Muslims to pray at home and avoid mosques where the disease had spread severely. Mosques were allowed to remain open in Pakistan.

The Dome of the Rock has closed, though Muslim prayers are still occurring in the Temple Mount. Religious leaders in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have strongly urged people to pray in their homes and avoid going to Mosques for regular and Friday prayers. Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs imposed a nationwide ban on prayer gatherings in mosques, including Friday prayers. Imam Reza Shrine, Fatima Masumeh Shrine, Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine and Jamkaran Mosque in Iran were closed temporarily. Friday prayers were also suspended in Iran.

A Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, India was claimed to have contributed to a cluster of more than 900 cases nationwide. However, experts from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in Indore stated that they have no data to link the spread of the pandemic to the congregation. There were several fake news and misreports of Tablighi members not cooperating with authorities, misbehaving with medical personnel, hiding their travel history and going into hiding, while police authorities in some states had announced set up bounties for information regarding the attendees. This incident also led to a rise in Islamophobic and communal sentiments in India. A large number of cases in Southeast Asia were tied to another large Tabligh Akbar religious event held in late February 2020. On 19 March 2020, 25,000 people gathered in Bangladesh to listen to "healing verses" from the Holy Qur'an "to rid the country of the deadly virus."

In the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and opposing pressures of medical fraternity of Pakistan and conservative outlook of clergy and masses; in midst of criticism from scientific community expressing their concerns over how far people will follow negotiated list of rule points in practice and may lead to continuance of COVID-19 pandemic; President of Pakistan mediated a consensus (ijma) consisting of 20-point detail precautionary measures with Ulema (clergy) of Pakistan to be followed during festive Islamic religious gatherings during lock down period.

Muslims in certain countries were unable to afford livestock to slaughter for Eid al-Adha on 31 July 2020 due to price increases as a result of the pandemic. Somalia was one country reported to be impacted, and in parts of West Africa the price of livestock had doubled.

Judaism

See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Israel § Religious restrictions

Orthodox Jews praying on their porches due to closure of Synagogues. April 2020 in Borough Park, Brooklyn

At the Western Wall, thousands of Jews gathered to pray on 15 February for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and this was led by Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu. By 12 March, when following a police request Israel's chief rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef instructed observant Jews to avoid visiting the holy site, few people continued praying there. However, even when the government prohibited collective prayings with a minyan (public prayer quorum of 10 people or more) on 30 March, a special exemption was provided so that prayers could continue at the Western Wall three times a day.

Many gatherings related to the Jewish celebrations of Purim and Passover were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rabbinical Council of America, speaking on behalf of Orthodox Judaism, issued a guideline stating that "public gatherings in synagogues and schools should be severely limited". The Rabbinical Assembly, speaking for Conservative Judaism, stated that "Protecting human life overrides almost every other Jewish value" and recommended that weddings be postponed.

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein suspended South Africa Synagogues.

The chief rabbi in the United Kingdom advised the suspension of Jewish worship in synagogues.

Other religious leaders called for introspection and improvement.

Hinduism

On the occasion of Ram Navami, Temple Ram Mandir in the heart of Bhubaneswar is seen deserted.

The festival of Panguni Uthiram, which is usually associated with processions, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal government has given permission to only 25 pilgrims at once in the holy Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

On 9 March 2020, thousands of devotees participated in Attukal pongala, a festival where offerings are made to a Hindu goddess, despite the "high alert" issued by the state government in India.

The Hindu festival of Holi was celebrated with caution before governments started enforcing lockdowns Other Hindu festivals such as Navaratri, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, and various regional Hindu new year days such as Vaisakhi, Nyepi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Bohag Bihu, Vishu, Pahela Baishakh, Jude Sheetal, Pana Sankranti, Navreh, Cheti Chand, Puthandu, Aluth Avurudda, Sajibu Nongma Panba, Bwisagu, and Mesha Sankranti have to all be celebrated at home by Hindus around the world due to the strict lockdown in India and elsewhere. Prayer services have been live-streamed for viewers to watch at home.

On 2 April 2020, thousands of devotees assembled in temples in various parts of West Bengal on the occasion of Ram Navami ignoring social distancing norms prescribed by the government during the ongoing nationwide lockdown period.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebration was also widely impacted in India. In Mumbai, which is the epicenter of the festival, saw a muted version of the festival. На идолов, помещенных в мандалы, были наложены ограничения по росту: они не должны были превышать 4 фута. Это также было сделано с учетом того, что городская корпорация создала более 100 искусственных прудов для погружения, чтобы избежать скопления большого количества людей в централизованных местах. Самый популярный мандал Лалбаугча Раджа на протяжении всего фестиваля проводил лагерь сдачи крови и не установил идола впервые за 86 лет своего ритуала.

Несмотря на опасения по поводу возможности второй волны COVID-19 в стране, индуистский весенний фестиваль Холи 29 марта 2021 года был встречен большим скоплением людей, многие из которых пренебрегали рекомендациями по охране здоровья и безопасности, такими как социальное дистанцирование .

Джайнизм

Махавир Джьянти , главный праздник джайнов , связанный с рождением Господа Махавиры , который приходится на 6 апреля 2020 года, обычно отмечается проведением большого шествия, отмененного по всей стране, а последователям религии было приказано проводить религиозные ритуалы дома. со стороны религиозных лидеров.

сикхизм

Сикхская коалиция рекомендовала отменить службы в гурдварах . Кроме того, многие сикхские гурдвары приостановили предложение бесплатной еды посетителям гурудвары и решили транслировать чтение Священных Писаний в прямом эфире. Центральный совет сикхов Гурдвара рекомендовал пожилым сикхам оставаться дома, хотя и разрешил проведение запланированных свадеб. Нагар -киртаны, праздником Вайсакхи , также были приостановлены или отложены. связанные с весенним

Сикхский центр Нью-Йорка приготовил более 30 000 домашних блюд для американцев, находящихся в самоизоляции на фоне новой вспышки коронавируса. обратилась к общине сикхов Мэрия Нью-Йорка с просьбой предоставить продуктовые наборы нескольким федеральным агентствам в этом районе.

Комитет Широмани Гурдвара Парбандхак протянул руку помощи в лечении пациентов с коронавирусом в своих больницах. Комитет управления сикхской гурудвары Дели предоставил свои комнаты персоналу больницы, поскольку они столкнулись с преследованиями со стороны домовладельцев и соседей.

буддизм

Буддисты в Сингапуре и во всем мире адаптировались, отмечая День Весак практически впервые . Утром Весака несколько буддийских храмов и центров начали онлайн-празднования, проводя утреннюю пуджу, медитацию и беседы. Пуджа — это ритуал размышления, призванный углубить понимание Будды и его учений и успокоить ум.

Верховный совет Сангхи Таиланда приказал всем храмам, находящимся под его юрисдикцией как в стране, так и за рубежом, приостановить все религиозные ритуалы на День Висакха Буча, чтобы предотвратить распространение COVID-19. Однако религиозная служба, проводимая в Ват Боуоннивет Вихара, будет транслироваться в прямом эфире на странице храма в Facebook. Служба начнется в 19:00, монахи обходят храм с зажженными свечами, после чего последует проповедь настоятеля и молитвы до утра следующего дня.

Культурный корпус корейского буддизма, который позволяет посетителям испытать монашескую жизнь в ста тридцати семи храмах, приостановил эту программу.

Буддийские церкви Америки отменили службы в честь весеннего праздника Хиган и других мероприятий во многих своих храмах.

Далай-лама выразил в статье журнала Time , что необходимо бороться с кризисом с состраданием. Духовный лидер буддизма подчеркнул, что «с буддийской точки зрения у нас есть способность использовать свой разум, чтобы победить гнев, панику и жадность». Он заявил: «Вспышка этого ужасного коронавируса показала, что то, что происходит с одним человеком, может вскоре повлиять на все остальные существа. Но это также напоминает нам, что сострадательный или конструктивный поступок – будь то работа в больницах или просто соблюдение социального дистанцирования – имеет потенциал помочь многим».

Достопочтенный Пхра Пайсал Висало , уважаемый монах традиции Тхеравадина , предлагает буддийский взгляд на эту неспокойную ситуацию: «Мы должны найти осторожный баланс между небрежностью и безумием. Мы должны осознавать, что коронавирус — не единственный опасный вирус, который распространяется. в нашем обществе страх также вредит нашему разуму и влияет на наше смирение, заставляя нас становиться эгоистичными и смотреть свысока на тех, кто заражен. Поэтому мы осознаем, что нам необходимо действовать, чтобы предотвратить. Чтобы предотвратить заражение нашего тела COVID-19, мы также должны позаботиться о том, чтобы страх перед COVID-19 не заразил наш разум. Давайте поддерживать друг друга на обоих уровнях. Эта ситуация имеет большой потенциал, чтобы помочь каждому из нас уменьшить свое эгоистичное поведение. отношения и увеличивать нашу щедрость в поддержке друг друга. Нам нужно оставаться на связи и поощрять людей выражать свою доброту изнутри, что в конечном итоге помогает другим».

Унитарный универсализм

Национальное отделение Унитарной универсалистской ассоциации конгрегаций настоятельно рекомендует общинам планировать постоянные виртуальные собрания и операции до мая 2021 года. Это будет относиться к богослужениям, мероприятиям, собраниям комитетов, собраниям сотрудников, личным посещениям, обрядам посвящения. и многое другое. Хотя небольшие собрания могут возобновиться раньше, если условия улучшатся, рекомендуется планировать виртуальные мероприятия, которые могут продолжаться в течение всего года.

Друзы

Зиярат ан-Наби Шуайб — друзский фестиваль под названием Зияра, отмечаемый с 25 по 28 апреля и официально признанный в Израиле государственным праздником. Мовафак Тариф , нынешний духовный лидер общины друзов в Израиле , объявил, что традиционные праздники Зиярат ан-Наби Шуайб были отменены впервые в истории общины друзов из-за пандемии COVID-19 .

Юридические вопросы

Мусульмане в масках собираются на молитву Ид аль Адха в Индонезии .

Хотя многие религиозные организации приостановили личные службы, мероприятия и мероприятия, некоторые собрания происходили, несмотря на советы и правила не собираться большими группами. Некоторые правительства освободили религиозные организации от требований о количестве людей, которым разрешено присутствовать на личных собраниях во время пандемии COVID-19.

Соединенные Штаты

The First Liberty Institute , некоммерческая юридическая фирма, базирующаяся в США, выпустила руководство для религиозных учреждений, связанное с приостановкой их работы во время пандемии COVID-19.

В Калифорнии зарегистрировано более 100 000 подтвержденных случаев коронавируса (COVID-19) и более 4 000 смертей. Чтобы защитить здоровье населения, штат распорядился приостановить второстепенную торговлю и богослужения более чем на два месяца. Губернатор Калифорнии Гэвин Ньюсом, демократ, издал приказ, ограничивающий количество прихожан до 100 человек или 25% от вместимости. Объединенная пятидесятническая церковь Саут-Бэй подала в суд на отмену ограничений, заявив, что ее службы обычно привлекают от 200 до 300 прихожан. Отмечая, что «аналогичные или более строгие ограничения применяются к сопоставимым светским собраниям, включая лекции, концерты, кинопоказы, спортивные состязания и театральные представления, когда большие группы людей собираются в непосредственной близости в течение продолжительных периодов времени», Верховный суд США оставил в силе решение право государства налагать ограничения на собрания, а также на светскую деятельность по охране здоровья населения. Суд постановил, что «хотя руководящие принципы Калифорнии налагают ограничения на места отправления культа, эти ограничения, по-видимому, соответствуют положению о свободе вероисповедания Первой поправки…»

В апреле 2020 года Министерство юстиции США заявило, что «правительство не может вводить социальные ограничения на религиозную деятельность, которые не применимы также к аналогичной нерелигиозной деятельности» в ответ на слова членов баптистской церкви Темпл в Гринвилле , штат Миссисипи, за то, что они задержали парковку. богослужения. Прихожане слушали церковную проповедь по автомобильным радиоприемникам, оставаясь в своих машинах. Прихожане Гринвилля были оштрафованы на 500 долларов на человека. Министерство юстиции подчеркнуло свободу вероисповедания в ответ местных органов власти любого штата на их меры реагирования на COVID-19 и встало на сторону церкви.

В июле 2020 года федеральный судья заблокировал религиозные ограничения в штате Нью-Йорк, где они были ограничены 25%, в то время как другие действовали на уровне 50%. Губернатору Эндрю Куомо и мэру Нью-Йорка Биллу де Блазио предъявили иск еврейские и христианские группы, обвиняя их в религиозной дискриминации. В октябре мэр Билл де Блазио извинился перед ортодоксальной еврейской общиной за свое отношение к пандемии. В канун Дня Благодарения Верховный суд США заблокировал дополнительные религиозные ограничения, введенные Куомо для районов с высоким уровнем заражения. Куомо назвал это решение «неуместным» и «на самом деле скорее возможностью для суда выразить свою философию и политику». Тем не менее, в этом не было ничего нового, см. Судебный активизм в Соединенных Штатах .

Китай

Правительство Китая, которое придерживается политики государственного атеизма , использовало пандемию COVID-19 для продолжения своих антирелигиозных кампаний , снеся церковь Сянбайшу в Исине и сняв христианский крест со шпиля церкви в уезде Гуйян . В Шаньдуне «власти издали руководство, запрещающее онлайн-проповедь, что является для церквей жизненно важным способом общения с прихожанами в условиях преследований и распространения вируса».

Исследовать

8 марта 2020 года итальянские ученые-правоведы и религиоведы из Ассоциации академиков правового регулирования религиозного явления начали исследовательский проект, координируемый профессором Пьерлуиджи Консорти из Пизанского университета . Они создали сайт для сбора документов и кратких комментариев о религии, законе и чрезвычайной ситуации, связанной с Covid-19.

В посещении религиозных служб произошли некоторые изменения: виртуальное участие в богослужениях сократилось, а личное посещение восстановилось, а затем остановилось. Исследовательский центр Pew провел опрос и пришел к следующему выводу: по состоянию на ноябрь 2022 года 12% американцев сообщили об участии только виртуально в прошлом месяце, что меньше, чем 27% в начале пандемии, в то время как 16% посещали только лично, по сравнению с 4 % в 2020 году. Несмотря на возобновление работы общин, общая доля взрослых в США, участвующих в религиозных службах, осталась примерно четыре из десяти. Демографические различия в структуре посещаемости были очевидны: белые протестанты-евангелисты неизменно чаще, чем другие группы, посещали службы лично, а черные протестанты чаще всего участвовали в службах виртуально.

См. также

• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на образование
• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на политику
• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на спорт
• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на кино
• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на авиацию
• Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на науку и технологии
• Ограничения на поездки, связанные с пандемией COVID-19

Библиография

• Бисвас, Деблина (2021). «Система убеждений, божество и пандемии: социологический анализ». В Саптарши Чаттерджи (ред.). COVID-19: борьба с глобальными пандемиями с помощью научных и социальных инструментов . Академическая пресса. стр. 109–113. дои : 10.1016/B978-0-323-85844-1.00011-8 . ISBN  978-0-323-85844-1 . S2CID   244097717 .

Внешние ссылки

• Межконфессиональный ответ Организации Объединенных Наций на COVID-19. Архивировано 6 июня 2020 года в Wayback Machine.
  • Наций, Организация Объединенных Наций (12 мая 2020 г.). «Роль религиозных лидеров в решении многочисленных проблем, связанных с COVID-19 (12 мая 2020 г.)» . Ютуб . Проверено 12 мая 2020 г.
• Церкви отменяют воскресные службы и переходят в режим онлайн из-за вспышки коронавируса – Fox News
• Сила молитвы в борьбе с тревогой, связанной с коронавирусом – USA Today
• Воскресенье без церкви: в условиях кризиса нация спрашивает: «Что такое сообщество?» – Нью-Йорк Таймс
• Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь в Америке (ELCA)
• Пасторское письмо о коронавирусной болезни 2019 (COVID-19) – Североамериканская лютеранская церковь (NALC)
• В церквях округа Колумбия, которые оставались открытыми в воскресенье, наблюдается смесь неповиновения, ободрения и веры – The Washington Post
• Как церкви пытаются обеспечить безопасность прихожан во время распространения коронавируса – Vox
• Генеральный прокурор Уильям П. Барр выступил с заявлением о религиозной практике и социальном дистанцировании
• Любите ближнего своего: ислам, иудаизм и христианство объединились в борьбе с COVID-19
• Как основные религии реагируют на коронавирус?
• Информация о Covid-19 от Всемирного совета церквей